Retooling the Cardinals Bullpen

You can’t retool a workbench without a good chuck key

Although the news of the promotion for Chuckie Fick hasn’t hit the Cardinals official website yet, it doesn’t keep us from taking a quick  look at how this might effect the bullpen in the coming days.

The Cardinals added the 26 year old righthander to the major league roster last November, along with left handed reliever, Samuel Freeman.   While these roster moves were done to precent losing either player in the Rule 5 draft, it sent a different and more immediate message to Fick – get ready, this day would be coming, and soon.  It’s about time.

Before looking more at the newest member of the St. Louis Cardinals, let’s take a peek at how some of the other relievers have been doing.

Jason Motte  (3-2, 2.70 ERA, 8 saves, 0.850 WHIP)

Simply put, Jason Motte is getting it done.  His walk rate continues to improve with each season.   He’s also reversed a trend and his strikeout rate is climbing a bit.   Just a bit.   The fidgety flame thrower now has a legitimate secondary pitch – a couple of them, actually – and his fastball is no longer of the “as the crow flies” variety.

The biggest improvement this year is that opponents just aren’t hitting Motte.  Collectively, they are hitting a measly .183  at the moment, and he has been especially tough on left handers, not that righties are doing that much better.

If there is a concern, Motte has given up a few home runs.  The one last night to Hunter Pence cost the Cardinals the game, but that loss could easily be  shared with third base coach, Jose Oquendo, who foolishly sent Yadier Molina home on a play in which he shouldn’t have.  Or Mike Matheny for that matter for not opting to pinch run.  Any other player on the team beats the relay throw home and the Cardinals win that game.

The Redbirds have themselves a closer, and a pretty darned good one at that.   The ninth inning is the absolute least of the Cardinals concerns, at the moment.

Marc Rzepczynski (0-2, 3.86 ERA, 1.041 WHIP)

Like Motte, if you are looking for trouble, look elsewhere.   Rzepczynski is tracking pretty closely to his performance last August and September (and we know how that ended up).    His strikeout rate is way down, but a closer look at some of his peripheral stats show that 2012 Scrabble is nearly identical to the 2011 version, perhaps just a bit better.  For now, we can look away from the strikeouts as a worrisome indicator.   For now.

It would be nice to complement Rzepczynski with another lefty, a veteran LOOGY perhaps, but those tend to be in very short supply.  Mike Matheny and Derek Lilliquist may have to rely on Victor Marte and Brandon Dickson’s ability to retire lefties, at least until the trade deadline.

Mitchell Boggs (0-1, 2.11 ERA, 1.219 WHIP)

Mitchell Boggs is the Kyle Lohse of the Cardinals bullpen – a convenient punching bag for fans wanting to take out all of their frustrations on a single player.   As with Lohse, this might be a bit unwarranted.

Let’s take a look at Mr. Boggs through the first 20 appearances of his last three seasons, including this one.

Year	G	IP	H	W	K	BA	OPS
2010	20	22 2/3	20	9	18	.233	.693
2011	20	22 2/3	19	8	22	.229	.639
2012	20	21 1/3	17	9	21	.224	.577

There has been steady improvement in each of the last three seasons for Mitchell Boggs.   Not in a “let’s turn the closer’s role over to him” way, but the progress is there nonetheless.   Boggs is giving up fewer hits (and I won’t jinx him by mentioning a particular kind of hit), his strikeouts are up and his control is very good (2.3 K/BB).

So why do some fans want to see Boggs elsewhere ?   Probably for the same reason the do with Kyle Lohse.   A middle reliever or setup guy is something like a shock or strut on your automobile.  When they are doing their job as expected, you hardly notice.  Things roll along smoothly.   When they don’t, you can’t think about anything else.   It gets so bumpy that your back teeth want to fall out and all you can think about is replace them as quickly as possible.

It is not all rainbows and butterflies with Boggs.  Last year he wore down in the second half, and started to get hit with greater regularity.   We should keep an eye on that over the next few months.  Until then, relax and enjoy the slow but steady maturing of Mitchell Boggs.

Victor Marte (no record, 3.98 ERA, 1.180 WHIP)

Without a doubt, Victor Marte is my favorite story so far in the 2012 season.  Picked up last year from the Omaha Storm Chasers for future considerations ($1 US), Marte took over the closers roll in the Memphis bullpen and was absolutely lights out.  He wasn’t supposed to be part of the Cardinals future plans in any way.   As with a lot of minor league veterans, he was there to fill a roster spot.   That’s not to say he wasn’t important, but that is all that we should have heard from him.

Until spring training, and the big hard throwing righty made something of an impression.   When the bullpen started showing signs of trouble, Marte got the call and made the short trip to Milwaukee and immediately got to work.   He gave up a home run in a losing blow out – ok, so his Cardinals debut wasn’t so hot.

Since then, it has been a different story.   His 3.98 ERA is a bit tricky, as it can be with a lot of relievers.   Let’s look at this from a different direction.   In his 21 appearances, he has allowed a run in just 7 outings (4 of them in multiple innings of work).  Only once has he given up more than a single run.  If you take that away, his ERA drops to a respectable 2.65.

Marte has an interesting reverse split, suggesting that he might be more effective against lefties.  We will need to let this play out over a few more innings to see if this is a real trend or just the result of a small sample size. If there is a concern, Marte has given up a few too many home runs.

If he can hold up as well as he did last year in Memphis, he should be an important part of the late inning relief over the summer.  I love this story.

Brandon Dickson (2-3, 3.42 ERA, 1.31 WHIP – all with Memphis)

For the last couple of seasons, Brandon Dickson has been the most effective starter for the Memphis Redbirds.  His numbers from the minor leagues do not immediately jump out at you, but then again, neither did Woody Williams, and we remember how well he pitched in St. Louis.

Dickson is not a hard thrower, but can be deceptively fast.   If he can keep his pitches low, and not nibble on the corners, he can be very effective against both lefties and righthanders.   With Kyle McClellan on the disabled list, Dickson is an important member of the bullpen – the only guy you would trust with long relief.  A little bit of major league success while Kyle McClellan is recovering could make for a very interesting trade deadline.

Eduardo Sanchez (0-0, 6.75 ERA, WHIP unreliable due to sample size)

Sanchez remains the anomaly in the current bullpen.   He started the season with Memphis in the hopes that he would regain the form he showed so brilliantly in 2011.    His velocity was down and his control was off, but the young righthander seemed to solve both of those problems while pitching in Memphis.

He has been used sparingly since his recall two weeks ago.  Twice he pitched effectively, not allowing a run, but in his last outing, exactly one week ago, he got hit hard and his control issues resurfaced.  Jake Westbrook’s ERA, not Sanchez’s, is the real indicator of his ineffectiveness.

Was that just a single game misfire or is there some other concern with Sanchez ?  The way Mike Matheny is protecting him suggests there is something wrong with Sanchez, or – open the rumor floodgates – perhaps there is some deal in the works somewhere.   Not only is it too early in the season to consider trading away an important part of the bullpen, his contract status makes him the one reliever the Cardinals would most like to keep.

Maybe this is nothing more than the Cardinals manager getting a bit predictable in the way he uses his pitchers.   Either way, Sanchez remains an important cog in the Cardinals relief machinery.

Scott Linebrink (oh where oh where did Scott Linebrink go)

Linebrink was brought in to be the veteran leadership and some right handed pitching depth in the bullpen.   His early season injury opened the door for Victor Marte, so in some respects, his loss has yet to be felt.   On the other hand, with the release of JC Romero, the Cardinals bullpen has become a very young group (Marte the oldest at 31, Motte at 30).  A veteran like Linebrink could be a very good influence on some of the younger pitchers, much like Octavio Dotel last year.

While a lot of Cardinals fans rolled their eyes when the Cardinals signed Linebrink, me included, he did pitch fairly effectively in spring training.   It is really hard to tell if the bullpen is better off with or without his presence.

Chuckie Fick (23-16, 3.24 ERA, 1.230 WHIP in 6 minor league seasons)

Last year, the only reliever more effective that Chuckie Fick (5-3, 2.30) was Victor Marte (2-4, 1.44), and he got the first call of the season.   If it had been any other pitcher than Kyle McClellan heading onto the disabled list, Chuckie Fick would have gotten the phone call and not Brandon Dickson.  Dickson’s ability to pitch multiple innings made him the ideal replacement for McClellan, even if his use so far has been largely of the single inning variety.

Mike Matheny will learn very quickly that Fick’s value will come from entering a game in the sixth inning and holding the score, and getting the game to the setup guy in the eighth.   Fick was used regularly in Memphis, appearing in 54 games last year while throwing 70 1/3 innings.  Only Cory Rauschenberger threw more, helped by a couple of emergency starts.

Fick will fit well into the Derek Lilliquist/Dave Duncan school of pitch to contact.   He is not a strikeout pitcher, but his high sidearm motion puts a lot of downward break on every pitch.  That induces a huge number of ground balls hit harmlessly at infielders.   This year, with a rejuvenated Rafael Furcal and a (curiously) emerging Tyler Greene, that should lead to a lot of inning ending double plays – something that Memphis fans learned to expect from Fick.

The thing to watch is his control.   He has gone through long periods of wildness, putting a lot of runners on base via the walk.   He has largely been able to work around them, as evidenced by a low ERA and equally impressive WHIP, but major leaguers might be able to take advantage of that weakness.

One more thing you will learn to love about Chuckie Fick, and this again is thanks to his unusual sidearm delivery, the balls that are hit will stay in the ballpark.   Even major league hitters will have a hard time getting a lot of lift on those heavy sinkers he throws.   They will learn to become patient, and bloop them into the opposite field for singles and doubles, something that minor leaguers have yet to figure out.   But there won’t be many three run bombs while Fick is on the mound.

Who next ?

With Fick’s callup, the cupboards in Memphis are starting to get bare.   If Salas gets  things turned around, and there is no reason to believe he won’t, he should be the next pitcher called back up to the big club.  At that point, Fick or Dickson (probably Dickson) would go back down to AAA.   In the event of another injury, or should Dickson or Fick become ineffective, things get a bit more complicated.

Maikel Cleto remains a callup possibility.  He’s still a hard throwing strikeout machine and is currently fifth on the Memphis staff in strikeouts, in spite of pitching less than half the number of innings as the top 4.   He also seems to be giving up less walks, which as always been his weakness.   Even though we have heard the name Maikel Cleto for a long time, he is only 23 years old.   He might yet find his inner Lee Smith.

Sam Freeman and John Gast are a pair of lefties recently promoted to AAA.  While some of their callup is a result of the injuries to the big club staff, some of it is because they were pitching incredibly well for Springfield.   With left handers in terribly short supply, getting these two some experience against near major league ready hitters might become important late in the season for the Cardinals.   This would be more of a last resort move, but the same was said of Matt Adams, and look who is playing first base right now.  Freeman is on the 40 man roster, Gast is not.   Should the need arise, the Cardinals have three players that could be moved to the 60 day DL (Lance Berkman, Scott Linebrink and Chris Carpenter).

Adam Reifer is the only other pitcher in the minor league system on the 40 man roster.  The hard throwing righthander was looking every bit the closer of the future before an unfortunate slip while fielding a bunt on wet turf blew out his knee early last year.  He is still recovering from season ending knee surgery and has been inconsistent so far this season.  Optimistically, his velocity seems to be coming back and his control is beginning to look like his pre-injury level.  He would remain a long shot to be called up this season, but could be a part of a renewal effort next season.

Is it Shutout or Complete Game Shutout ?

While the ability to watch every single baseball game being played is a genuine privilege of this era in technology, it is not without its faults.  Like watching the same commercial over and over, not just once per inning but, on occasion, several times in the same break.  Two years ago it was the Sharp commercial with Gerard Fasel.  This year it is the “do you have an invention” commercial.

One other drawback is that a broadcaster’s pet phrase can begin to get under your skin, to a point of yelling things at the TV, or worse, starting an epic rant on Twitter.  Ernie Johnson’s “fisted” call has gone from trademark to genuine irritant.  Al Hrabosky’s “the key to success is for <pitcher X> to keep the ball down” will cause eyes to roll from Indiana to Colorado.

In the May  22 game between the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals, Fox Sports Midwest broadcaster Dan McLaughlin’s described Adam Wainwright’s brilliant performance as “complete game shutout”.   That prompted several comments on Twitter, including this one.

To clarify for folks, it's not a complete game shutout. 
It's just a shutout. If you throw a shutout, it has to be a 
complete game. #PetPeeve

Ah, but not so fast. It turns out that McLaughlin was correct in his call.   Complete game shutout is not a redundancy as many think.   They are two separate things.

Let’s take a look at the Official Rules of Major League Baseball.  In particular, lets jump down to section 10, which governs the official scorer.

10.18 Shutouts
A shutout is a statistic credited to a pitcher who allows no runs in a game. No pitcher shall be credited with pitching a shutout unless he pitches the complete game, or unless he enters the game with none out before the opposing team has scored in the first inning, puts out the side without a run scoring and pitches the rest of the game without allowing a run.

Ahh, so there’s an OR in there, isn’t there ?   Like that’s ever happened, right ?

Well, since you asked, yes it did.   If you take a look at Neil Allen’s career record over at baseball-reference.com, you will see a curious entry in the 1988 line.   It looks something like this.

Year	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO
1988	NYY	5	3	3.84	41	2	0	1

No, that is not a typo, it really happened.

May 31, 1988 – New York Yankees at Oakland Athletics

After going down in order to start the first inning, the Yankees took the field in Oakland, just as they did in every other game.  They had no idea that something unusual was about to happen.  Neither did their starter, Al Leiter.

The first batter Leiter would face was Carney Lansford.  Lansford wasted no time and lined Leiter’s first pitch off his left arm and the ball fell harmlessly to the ground for a single.  Leiter followed suit shortly after, but not before his errant throw allowed Lansford to end up at second base.   Leiter could not continue and had to be removed from the game.  His replacement was former Cardinal pitcher, Neil Allen.

Allen was brilliant in relief of the injured Leiter.  He retired the next three batters (Stan Javier, Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire) to strand Lansford at second base.   He would then pitch the next 8 innings, allowing just three hits.  More importantly, he did not allow a run to score.

When it came time for the official scorer to enter the statistics for the game, Allen was credited for a shutout as he recorded all 27 outs without allowing a run.   But he was not given credit for a complete game since he did not pitch to every batter.

But wait, there’s more.

June 23, 1917 – Washington Senators at Boston Red Sox – Game 1

Babe Ruth took the mound in the first game of this double header.   He quickly got into trouble with home plate umpire Brick Owens as each of his first three pitches were called balls.   When his fourth pitch was also called a ball, he charged the umpire and a bit of a brawl broke out.  Ruth was ejected for calling balls and strikes (although the real reason was a punch to the jaw of Owens).

Ernie Shore

Ernie Shore came in to replace Ruth.   On the first pitch, Ray Morgan tried to steal second base but was thrown out.  Shore then retired the next 26 batters.    At the time, he was credited with a perfect game, but that was taken away some time later as the guidelines for no hitters and perfect game were narrowed.  Since Shore did not throw a complete game, he was not eligible for a perfect game.  He was credited with a shutout and a no-hitter, since he recorded all 27 outs without allowing a hit or a run.

And like the Allen game in 1988, we have another shutout that was not a complete game.

The next time you hear a baseball broadcaster say complete game shutout, know that they are actually making the correct call.   It doesn’t happen very often, but the two are very different.   And if you should run into somebody complaining that the broadcaster is being redundant, you can share a pair of fascinating stories from baseball’s past.  This is one of reasons we love this game.

Unforgotten Cardinal of the day: George Crowe

Influenced by our good friend William Tasker’s excellent “Debating Jackie Robinson Day“, I thought that today would be a good time to look back at the career of George Crowe.  Cardinals fans under the age of 50 might not even know the name, but his presence was felt on opening day, as a group of Hall of Famers rode around Busch Stadium.   If not for Mr. Crowe, that procession might have been less impressive.

By all accounts, Crowe was a gifted athlete.  A graduate of Indiana Central College (now the University of Indianapolis), the big man excelled at both baseball and basketball.   Crowe holds a very special place in Indiana sports history,  being named the very first  “Mr. Basketball” in 1939.

After college, he would first play professional basketball, most notably with the legendary New York Renaissance.   The Rens have a fascinating history that somewhat parallels what would eventually happen to the Negro Leagues in baseball.

Crowe would also play for an integrated professional basketball team in Los Angeles, the Red Devils.  It is there he would cross paths with Jackie Robinson, shortly before Robinson would break the color barrier in baseball.

As the fledgling National Basketball Association got under way, at the expense of teams like the Rens, the New York Black Yankees of the Negro Leagues came scouting for players, and managed to sign Crowe.  Crowe was an all star in the league, and some day I hope that we can look over the statistics from that era so that we can fully appreciate how good players like Crowe were.  Until then, we can marvel over some of his Major League numbers, and there’s plenty there to like.

In four seasons in the Boston Braves minor league organization (1949-1952), the big first baseman never hit below .339, and had a slugging average that would never fall below .541.  Today, those numbers would make baseball fans hyperventilate in anticipation of his certain callup.   Back then, other factors kept him buried in the minor leagues.

Crowe would make his major league debut on April 16, 1952, ironically against Jackie Robinson’s Brooklyn Dodgers.  Over the next two seasons, Crowe would be used infrequently, pinch hitting or playing when a starter needed a day off.  Like many players, the lack of regular playing time hurt his performance, and it would eventually get him sent back down to the minors.  Once again getting regular playing time with Toledo in 1954, Crowe dominated the American Association by hitting .334 with 34 home runs and 128 RBIs.

As the 1956 season was about to get under way, the now Milwaukee Braves sent Crowe to the Cincinnati Redlegs.   This was not a player dump – far from it.  Crowe had wrestled the every day first base job away from Joe Adcock.   The Braves were becoming a force in the National League and were a player or two away from winning it all.  Crowe’s emergence provided them what they thought was one of those players, Bob Hazle.   For Crowe, the trade had to be a big disappointment.   The Reds history with integration was less than stellar, and this might have devastated a lesser person, but Crowe went about his business.

The baseball world was about to learn how good a player Crowe was.

But it still took a tragedy for that to happen.   When the Reds star first baseman, Ted Kluszewski, went down to an injury early in the 1957 season, Crowe took his spot.   It was a big spot to fill.  Kluz had been a fan favorite, a four time All Star, three consecutive seasons of 40 or more home runs, four with over 100 RBIs.   But Crowe was up to the task, and then some.   Filling in for Kluszewski, Crowe would hit .271 with 31 home runs and 92 RBIs.  He was about to become a part of baseball history, albeit a rather dubious piece.

In 1957, fans of the Cincinnati Reds went crazy in voting for the players in the All Star Game.  Their ballot box stuffing activity would be successful in getting seven Reds voted in as starters.  The only player that didn’t get in, ironically, was Crowe.  He was beaten out by a future teammate, Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals.   Commissioner Ford Frick intervened and replaced several of the Reds with players who were more deserving of the invitation.   He also took away fan balloting to prevent a similar problem from happening in the future.  Fans would not be allowed to vote for All Stars until 1969, when the league solved the problem by giving each team the same number of ballots.

After a red hot start to the 1958 season, the now 37 year old Crowe would finally be recognized for his outstanding performance with an invitation to play in the 1958 All Star Game.   At the same time, we were all reminded that baseball still had a long way to go before all players were treated equally.   Crowe would sit on the bench for all nine innings, as Stan Musial would play the entire game at first base.  Maybe the Gods of Baseball had a little bit to say as the American League defeated the National, 4-3.   The NL squad might have benefited from a Crowe pinch hit.

That takes us to his time in St. Louis.   Crowe would spend his last three professionals seasons, playing part time with the Cardinals.  The record books will remember him as an exceptional pinch hitter.   When he retired at the end of the 1961 season, Crowe held the major league record for pinch hit home runs – 14.

What the record books will not tell you is the impact the veteran player had on some of the younger Cardinals players.  The rage that fueled some of the young black players of the era was understandable, given some of the terrible things they endured while playing in the minor leagues,  in some cases continuing in the big leagues.  For some players, that was working against them, hurting their baseball careers.   In St. Louis, Crowe was almost like having another coach on the team, mentoring younger players such as Bob Gibson, Curt Flood and Bill White.   He helped channel that emotion into something more effective – focus and excellence on the field.  Combined with a management change later in St. Louis, that core of young players helped turn the Cardinals into one of the most successful teams pf the 1960s.  George Crowe would no longer be with the team when that happened, but his fingerprints were all over it.  In his most recent book, 60ft 6in, Bob Gibson credits Crowe for a lot of his success.

Crowe’s personal life after baseball was a lot like it was during his two sport professional career, filled with quiet dignity.   Sadly, that would come to an end last January as the former Cardinal passed away at age 89.

If the NBA had welcomed the New York Rens, Crowe might have gone on to be a legend of the early years.   Had baseball integrated earlier, and he was able to play the game in his prime instead of at the very end, Crowe might have been a legend of that sport too.   As it is, he is one of a handful of players that excelled in two professional sports, and an even smaller group that was invited to play in both the Negro League and Major League All Star Game.

His name is rarely mentioned when talking about the great Cardinals of the past.   But as Bob Gibson approached home plate on opening day, I can’t help but think just a little bit about a gentle giant that once wore the Birds on the Bat.   Fortunately, a new generation will learn the name of George Crowe, thanks to the University of Indiana.  They just recently named one of their residence halls in honor of the former Mr. Basketball.

Today, and on every future April 15, when all of the Cardinals are wearing the number 42, remember one who wore the number 18.  George Crowe – a most important, and hopefully now unforgotten Cardinal.

Closing the book on the steroids era …

… means opening the doors in Cooperstown.

Yes, we get it. Some players cheated. They took performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) to gain a competitive advantage in a game that is played, well …. competitively. And since the league crackdown in 2005, there seems to be a whole new level of righteous indignation, some coming from the very sportswriters that drooled in admiration when these (alleged) cheaters, well ….. cheated (allegedly).

I hate to burst your bubble, but players have always cheated. Perhaps never to the level that PED abusers did in the late 90s and early 2000s, but if there was a way to gain a competitive advantage, some players would take it, regardless of the consequences. Given the salaries of professional athletes today, one can understand why some players chose to take those risks, both professionally and personally.

Before taking on the controversial cases of Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire or, gasp, Barry Bonds, let’s take a look at a very different player – Tim Raines. I won’t make the case for Rock as many others have already done so. If you want to know more, a good example comes from our friends over at Bleacher Report.

Here’s what those articles don’t tell you – Raines cheated. An admitted cocaine user, Raines was one of the players called to testify before the grand jury in the 1985 Pittsburgh Drug Trials. It’s been largely forgotten over the years, especially since Raines was not given a suspension as many of the others were. He also seems to be one of the few players that kept it from destroying their life, and that should count for something. Perhaps more than we know. Should this revelation hurt Raines chances of induction into the Hall of Fame ? Not one bit.

Why not ? Because it was a widespread problem throughout baseball, and the league office was slow to react to it. Now, that may not be entirely fair to Peter Ueberroth as he inherited the problem and, thanks to a more powerful player’s union, was somewhat limited in what he could do. The fact remains, baseball did little about the problem until 1985.

The other contributing factor is that cocaine abuse was not just a hitter’s cheat. Some high profile pitchers were linked to the cocaine problem, either through admissions or being called to testify. That list includes Vida Blue, Joaquin Andujar and Dwight Gooden. It also includes some Gold Glove winning defenders, such as Keith Hernandez. Cocaine made its way into every aspect of the game, and if the estimates of the number of players involved is anywhere close to reality, it really makes you wonder what sort of a cheat it turned out to be.

Let’s not forget that this same scenario played itself out a decade earlier, but with the more pedestrian amphetamines. That was the cheat of the late 1960s and early 70s, and many high profile players have been connected with that, but in whispers (and in the Pittsburgh grand jury testimony). Knowing what we do now, it is fun to look back at game films from that era and wonder each time we see a batter fidget nervously in the batters box. There is something of a confirmation when we see a pitcher knowingly take his time, as if to somehow punish an opponent that he believes is disrespecting the game.

There has been no public outcry to go back and revisit players already enshrined in Cooperstown. Perhaps that is fueling some of the desire to keep suspected PED abusers out now, because once in the Hall, forever shall they stay. Unfortunately, to do that with any degree of confidence would require far more information than we will ever receive. Players will be evaluated inconsistently, on both sides – those that did not cheat as well as those that were just a little better at getting away with it.

So let’s bring this back to Palemeiro, McGwire and when his time comes, Barry Bonds. Let’s drop all the pretense that the players, league office and sportswriters didn’t know what was going on at the time They did, and each had a part to play in this little drama. The players continued to cheat, the league office did little to stop it, and the writers continued to shower the players with undying praise for their performance on the field. Not all, to be sure, but enough to make this a non-issue going forward.

But we have a much bigger problem – rumors. Some players, such as Mark McGwire, have admitted their use of PEDs. Perhaps not with the contrition that some want, or feel they are entitled to, but that genie is out of the bottle. There is no more controversy. For many others, it is guilt by association. In some cases, all we have are accusations in the latest book by Jose Canseco, as an example. What about Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens ? Alex Rodriguez ? Ivan Rodriguez ? And what about Jeff Bagwell, who has managed to stay clear of such accusations ?

Should a rumor, accusation, or just “common knowledge” be enough to ruin a players entry into the Hall of Fame ? At this point, the only fair thing to do is drop the pretense and judge the players solely on their on-the-field performance, allegedly enhanced or not. This is an imperfect game, played by imperfect players, so why try to find such purity at the end of this process. It is ridiculous, and it should stop now. Everybody should grow up and step down off Mt. Righteous.

The only difference between the cocaine problems in the 1980s and the PEDs of the 90s/00s is that cocaine largely destroyed the player’s careers while they were still playing. That’s why were are having the argument now, instead of a decade ago.

While it is perfectly acceptable for the voters to recognize a player for accomplishing something special in his career, going beyond just the career numbers, Jackie Robinson for example, it is completely wrong for those same writers to take on the role of ultimate judge and jury on the person. Leave that for a higher power with the full understanding that will ultimately happen. Prolonged steroids use can lead to severe medical troubles, including liver cancer, liver failure, stroke or death. In other words, things that are far worse than whether or not they were elected into the Hall of Fame.

The proper thing for baseball to do now, is what they were so good at doing last decade – looking the other way. Open the Hall of Fame to Rafael Palmeiro and Mark McGwire. When it comes time to vote on Barry Bonds, don’t even ask the question – you aren’t going to believe the answer any way, are you ? That might not seem fair, but we just don’t have, nor will we ever get, enough information to do anything else. And no, it is not fair to every player that played the game with just their God given talents. Then again, being left handed and able to throw a baseball 100 miles per hour isn’t fair either.

At the same time, the Commissioner needs to stay vigilant in keeping PEDs out of baseball now and in the future. It starts with the kids down in the farm system, educating them both in the personal and professional risks they will face, should they consider using PEDs of any form. A strict no tolerance policy combined with better testing and handling procedures needs to continue to send the message that these substances will not be allowed and violators will be dealt with harshly. Baseball may be played in free democratic countries, but the players need to realize that it is a privilege to participate, not a right. And that comes with a higher level of personal responsibility.

We can solve the problem for the current group of players As for the past ones, It is no longer about being right or wrong with respect to the PEDs issue. All that we can do is be consistent with how players from previous eras have been treated. That train has already left the station, so let’s board it with the full understanding that consistency is a noble journey.

What we can, and should do, is make sure that generations in the future remember how narcotics started invading baseball in the 1960s, reached a peak with cocaine in the 80s, and then steroids and other PEDs shortly after that. It was a bad time for baseball and it will cast a dark shadow across many players careers, some undeservingly so. But it happened, and the story needs to be told. And that’s it – we have fulfilled our responsibility to the next generation. As well as the current one.

Do you agree or disagree ? Feel free to share your opinions in the comments.

Previewing the Memphis Redbirds – Pitching

In this first of a four part series, we will take a closer look at the 2012 Memphis Redbirds.  In addition to all of the roster changes, we will also suggest a few things to pay attention to as the season unfolds.  Thanks to a particularly strong 2009 draft, this young team will be a lot of fun to watch throughout 2012.

Starters

Gone: Adam Ottavino (RHP) and PJ Walters (RHP)

Adam Ottavino was removed from the Cardinals 40 man roster to make room for Scott Linebrink.  Since this was the second time for Ottavino, he had to clear waivers before the Cardinals could assign him to Memphis, which he could now refuse and become a free agent.  The Colorado Rockies claimed Ottavino and assigned him to their AAA affiliate in Colorado Springs.  Since he was claimed off waivers, he remains on the Rockies major league (40 man) roster.

PJ Walters is now pitching for the Rochester Red Wings, the Minnesota Twins AAA team in the International League.   Walters was part of the Colby Rasmus non-waiver deadline trade last July, and finished his 2011 season with the Las Vegas 51s.  He struggled in Las Vegas, going 1-3 with an 8.58 ERA in seven starts.  They did not resign him in the off-season, so the Twins signed him to a minor league contract.

Lance Lynn

The other starter from last year that did not return in 2012 was Lance Lynn.  He was promoted to the major league team in July, and is now a member of the rotation, filling in for Chris Carpenter.  In his first start of 2012, he pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run (earned) on 2 hits.  He struck out 8 while walking just one – the last batter he faced.  The most impressive thing about Lynn’s start came after he gave up a mammoth home run to Corey Hart.  Instead of letting that get to him, he struck out the next four batters, two on a particularly nasty curve ball. For the moment, all chatter about the Cardinals needing to sign Roy Oswalt has gone silent.

Returning: Brandon Dickson (RHP), Brian Broderick (RHP) and Nick Additon (LHP).

This will be an important season for all three returning pitchers.  John Gast and Trevor Rosenthal have been impressive and look well positioned to be in the Memphis rotation next year, if not sooner.  That means that one of these pitchers will probably not return next year.

Brandon Dickson

Dickson is the veteran and this will be his third season in Memphis.   He was an undrafted free agent, signed by the Cardinals in 2006.  He has made steady progress through the Cardinals farm system, owning a winning record for each level except for part of a season in Palm Beach (High A).  The tall right-hander is not overpowering, but has better than average control.  His strikeout rate is at the low end of what you would like to see as a starter, but his walk rate more than makes up for that.

For Brandon Dickson, there will be two things to watch in 2012.  Historically, he has not gone deep into games, averaging just over 6 innings per start.  He needs to get deeper into his starts, either pitching more efficiently or keeping strong as his pitch count approaches 90.  He has also gotten into a bit of late trouble with the long ball.   That is not necessarily a problem, especially if they are solo shots while he is trying to be “efficient”.   Dickson reminds me a lot of Woody Williams and could be an effective back of the rotation arm.

Nick Additon

Nick Additon is the sole lefty in the Memphis rotation.  He was a mid-season addition last year, after adjusting to the offensively minded Texas League.   He struggled a bit at the higher level, primarily from a lack of control.  If he can regain the confidence (and control) he showed in Springfield, Additon could have a very good year, creating some tough decisions for the front office heading into next spring.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have another lefty to join Jaime Garcia ?  When he is on, Additon looks like a young Mark Mulder.

Brian Broderick is basically Brandon Dickson, just a year younger.  After a breakout season with Springfield in 2010 (11-2, 2.77 ERA, 7IP per start, 4 Ks per BB), the Washington Nationals took Broderick in the 2011 Rule 5 draft.  He spent first part of the season with the Nationals, but was returned to the Cardinals in May.  He would struggle with Redbirds in 2011, suggesting the Rule 5 selection and subsequent infrequent use in Washington has hurt the young right-hander’s development.   At only 25 years of age, there is still plenty of time for Broderick, and I look for some big improvement in 2012.

Added: Shelby Miller (RHP) and Joe Kelly (RHP).

Shelby Miller is the top prospect in the Cardinals organization and Memphis should be just a brief stopping point in his bright career.

The more interesting story in 2012 might be Joe Kelly.  Kelly was an early draft pick in 2009, going in the third round.  A former closer, the young right-hander throws absolute heat, occasionally putting the radar gun into triple digits.   He is a far more effective pitcher in the mid-90s (in the mid-90s – sheesh – that’s still bringing some heat), so the Cardinals moved him into the starting rotation.   That move has paid dividends as Kelly owned the Florida State League in 2011, posting a 5-2 record with a 2.60 ERA in 11 starts.  In a couple of those, he flirted with a no hitter – he has that kind of stuff.  He reminds me of another hard throwing right hander who also wore glasses, Dick Hughes.

After an impressive spring training with the Cardinals in 2012, Kelly finds himself in the rotation alongside the Cardinals number one prospect, Shelby Miller.   After watching Miller pitch in Frisco last spring, I’m convinced he is the real deal.  Denied the opportunity to see Kelly last year, I am eagerly looking forward to each of his starts, hoping he might be the next big thing.

Relievers

Gone: Fernando Salas (RHP), Bryan Augenstein (RHP), Rich Rundles (LHP), Raul Valdes (LHP), Pete Parise (RHP), Cory Rauschenberger (RHP)

Fernando Salas was promoted to the St. Louis Cardinals in early 2011, and has been the one reliever that has managed to stay with the big club.  His experience as a closer will come in handy as he will be pitching in the late innings, setting up the actual Cardinals closer, Jason Motte.  Salas was a rock for St. Louis, settling down a very shaky bullpen until the cavalry arrived via the Colby Rasmus trade in July.  Salas is part an important core member of a retooled and vastly improved bullpen for 2012 and beyond.

Bryan Augenstein was released last year.  He is now in the Tampa Rays organization, pitching for the Durham Bulls of the International League.  He is expected to be just right handed pitching depth out of the bullpen, but his first appearance in 2012 was as a starter – an impressive 6 inning effort, striking out 8.  He did not receive a decision.

For the last three years, the Cardinals did not resign lefty reliever, Rich Rundles.  When faced with a bullpen essentially void of lefties, they resigned him in 2010 and 2011.  With the additions of Nick Greenwood, RJ Swindle and Barret Browning, the bullpen is suddenly swarming with southpaws.  As a result, Rundles was not resigned.  He is still currently unsigned.

Raul Valdes was released last summer.  The New York Yankees picked him up and he appeared in a few games for the Pinstripes, late in the season.  They opted not to bring him back, so Valdes now pitches for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, the Phillies AAA affiliate.

Pete Parise and Cory Rauschenberger were both released in March.

Returning: Eduardo Sanchez (RHP), Chuckie Fick (RHP), Maikel Cleto (RHP), Jess Todd (RHP), Adam Reifer (RHP), Victor Marte (RHP).

Eduardo Sanchez was another in a long list of amazing stories from the 2011 season.  His combination of velocity, movement and control made him almost unhittable until an injury sidelined him in June.

Many Cardinals fans were perplexed when he was sent back to Memphis to start the 2012 season, especially when they added Scott Linebrink and were unable to trade Kyle McClellan.  A closer look at his 2012 spring training performance shows a lack of control.  Rather than work that out in critical early game situations, it is better for Sanchez and the Cardinals for him to work on his control in Memphis, where he can get regular work.  In his first two appearances with the Redbirds, it appears that the Cardinals front office knew what they were doing.   He will eventually get it back together and start finding the strike zone with regularity.  Until then, he will get regular work in Memphis.

Chuckie Fick returns to Memphis for the third time.  2012 is a bit different for the lanky right hander, he has been added to the Cardinals 40 man roster.  That should signal a genuine long term interest in Fick, and we may see him in St. Louis sooner rather than later.

Over the course of six minor league season, Fick has turned into a very reliable middle reliever.  He slings the ball from a high arm slot, and that sidearm motion gives his pitches a lot, and I mean A LOT, of natural sink.  He’s able to throw the ball harder than a typical sidearmer, which might add to his effectiveness and longevity.   The knock on Fick is occasional wildness.  When he finds the strike zone, he is very effective.  His specialty is getting ground balls, and he proved to be particularly effecting in getting out of tough situations last season, inducing inning ending double play after inning ending double play.  He will eventually be the long reliever in St. Louis, as a cost controlled replacement for Kyle McClellan or Mitchell Boggs.  For Fick, the story of 2012 will be control, and making sure he keeps his cell phone charged at all times.

Maikel Cleto is the big hard throwing right hander that came to the Cardinals in the Brendan Ryan trade.  Cleto has a very live arm, perhaps too live at times.  If he can get that giant cannon under control, he might have a very bright future ahead.

Watching him pitch a few times in St. Louis and with Memphis, he has mechanics similar to Lee Smith.  The move to the bullpen for 2012 might be the best thing for his career.  Unlike Joe Kelly, who needed to pitch under a bit more control, the max effort role of a reliever might be just what Cleto needs.

It was not too long ago that Jess Todd was a top pitching prospect in the Cardinals system.  He was their minor league pitcher of the year in 2008 (with Daryl Jones the position player of the year) and pitched in the Florida State and Texas League All Star Games, as well as the 2008 Futures game.   He was a “can’t miss” prospect.

Todd was the player to be named later in the Chris Perez for Mark DeRosa deal with the Cleveland Indians in 2009.   That trade turned out disastrous for the Cardinals, as DeRosa played hurt for most of the season.  Perez went on to become the Indians new closer, and was invited to the 2011 All Star Game.

At the time, the addition of Jess Todd enraged Cardinals fans who had been following the youngster in the minor leagues.  His strikeout rates were astronomical, and he had developed into a dependable closer.   Unfortunately for Todd, that trend did not continue in the Indians organization.  After one full season and parts of two others, Cleveland gave up on the right hander, and designated him for assignment.  The Yankees took a quick look at Todd, but soon had to make room on their major league roster.  After a week, they too designated Todd for assignment.  This time the Cardinals claimed Todd off waivers.  They later removed him from their 40 man roster, but no other team put in a claim, so he was assigned to Memphis, the beginning of this very strange three year trip.

On the surface, Todd will be right handed depth for the AAA team, adding some veteran leadership to help a very young staff.  His strikeout rate is falling through the floor, and his walk rate it flying though the ceiling – not good when both of those happen at the same time.  He’s still relatively young, and has time to turn it around – but that would be a long shot.

Adam Reifer was to be the new Memphis closer when Fernando Salas and Eduardo Sanchez were promoted to the Major League club.  All of that came to a grinding halt in late April, when a knee injury ended his season.  Up to that point, everything was positive for the hard throwing right hander.  He had a very good strikeout rate, his control was improving and he had demonstrated success as a closer.  At one time the Memphis bullpen had Salas, Sanchez and Reifer.  By the end of April, they had none of them.

Which brings us to one of the best stories from last season, Victor Marte.

Marte, a native of the Dominican Republic, came to the Memphis Redbirds by a most circuitous route.   He had been playing with the Hiroshima Carp, in the Japanese League.  After three years, the Carp released Marte.  At the age of 28, The Kansas City Royals signed him to a minor league contract in 2009, assigning him to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (AA).  He quickly mastered the Texas League and was promoted to Omaha (AAA).  He even made a few appearances with the Royals in that same season -  a most unusual journey.  After a good, but not exceptional season in 2010, the Royals seemed more interested in giving their younger arms the late inning opportunities.

When Adam Reifer went down in April, Memphis and Omaha made a deal, sending Marte to the Cardinals for future considerations.   The trade worked out well for both clubs.  Memphis desperately needed a closer and Omaha needed to clear out their bullpen of aging arms.  Neither team could have predicted what happened next.  Victor Marte became one of the best closers in the Pacific Coast League.  62 1/3 innings over 58 appearances, 31 saves and a measly ERA of 1.44.  Victor Marte had just become the Lee Smith of the PCL.  And nobody saw it coming.

Just when you thought the story couldn’t get any better, Derek Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch reported that the future considerations for Victor Marte – $1.  One dollar.  US.

That should tell you a little bit about the Kansas City Royals organization.   They did not stick it to the Cardinals when they could have.  They had no further interest in Marte, knew Memphis was in a world of hurt.   And made what amounts to a Gentleman’s Deal, in an age when we thought those sorts of things had become long extinct.    The last deal like that I can remember was when the New York Mets came into town in July 1967, days after Bob Gibson broke his leg.  In a similar gentleman’s agreement, they sent over right handed reliever, Jack Lamabe.  The future considerations in that case turned out to be Al Jackson, but that is only because the Cardinals chose to keep Lamabe for the following season.

The Victor Marte story continues to get better.   Just one game into the 2012 season, the Cardinals placed Scott Linebrink on the disabled list.  Victor Marte was called up to take Linebrink’s place.  His first outing was a bit shaky, but that will pass.  Marte has good enough stuff to pitch in the major leagues.

Added: Barret Browning (LHP), RJ Swindle (LHP), Nick Greenwood (LHP)

Is there a pattern here ?  There are a couple of very exciting lefties coming up in the Cardinals farm system, but most of them are a year or more away from AAA.  The closest is Samuel Freeman, who will begin the season in Springfield.  If he begins the season on fire, don’t be surprised if he is called up to pitch for the Redbirds.

Barret Browning was a minor league Rule 5 pick up from the Los Angeles Angels.   He’s a fastball/slider pitcher that has spent most of his career in the bullpen.   A declining strikeout rate to go with an unusually high walk total doesn’t suggest a promising future, unless there is a LOOGY (Left handed One Out Guy) in there somewhere.  And there may be.

For a 28 year old, RJ Swindle has already spent time in a lot of major league organizations: Boston, New York (AL), Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Tampa and now St. Louis.   And he has been traded more than a penny stock in that time.   RJ is another slinger and has maintained a high strikeout rate to go with pretty good control.  That suggests a future LOOGY, but that has yet to happen for the veteran portsider.  A few appearances with the Cardinals in spring were less than impressive.  This really feels like Rich Rundles 2.0.

Until now, the name Nick Greenwood conjures up memories of some fantastic music.  Greenwood was the bassist in Arthur Brown’s Crazy World of Arthur Brown band.  Greenwood would go on to record a classic album, Cold Cuts, as well as play on an important progressive rock album, Kahn’s Space Shanty.

This Nick Greenwood is a soft tossing lefty, and he came to the Cardinals as part of the Ryan Ludwick for Jake Westbrook deadline deal in July 2010.  Outside of some good control, there is very little to like about Nick Greenwood, except for the arm that he uses to throw the baseball.   Certainly, there is little rationale beyond that to explain his rise in the Cardinals organization.  Yet, we have seen junkballers to on to long and productive careers in the major leagues – it just doesn’t happen often.  Of the three lefties in the Memphis pen, Greenwood probably has the biggest upside.  Even with that, our lefty future hopes rest on continued development and health of Samuel Freeman.

What to look for in 2012 ?

Shelby Miller will be a big story in 2012, especially if he can repeat what he did in Springfield last year – but that is no surprise.  Beyond that, look for Brandon Dickson to get deeper into games, Brian Broderick to return to his earlier form, and the continued development of Joe Kelly and Nick Additon.

The real story will take place in the bullpen, but not in a way that we usually see.  The Memphis pen will truly be used as a feeder for the major league team.  With a closer clearly in place with Jason Motte, and a capable backup in Fernando Salas, look for the Memphis relievers to pitch multiple innings, simulating the situations they will be facing should they be called up.  Victor Marte, Eduardo Sanchez, Adam Reifer and Chuckie Fick will be stretched out and every appearance will be as it if were the sixth inning in St. Louis.   It might not make for a traditional bullpen, but that will help the big club when the injury bug decides to make a visit.   As it already has.

In a few days, we will return with a look at the Memphis outfield.   Until then, a quick poll, if you don’t mind.   Since there are so many great Cardinals bloggers out there, and new ones are coming one by the truckloads, I would like to know what you would like to see in the future from this one.

As always, thanks for taking the time to read these articles.  Your support is always appreciated.

Dealing with Postpujols Depression

For immediate release: Albert Pujols is no longer with the Cardinals.  Over the winter, he signed a blockbuster 10 year contract with the California Anaheim Los Angeles errr Angels. According to the national media, that was the only story so far in the 2012 regular season. Forget that Jared Weaver pitched a gem of a game, the St. Louis Cardinals are not following the script and have won their first two games convincingly, Kyle Lohse (yes, that Kyle Lohse) took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in his first start.  Albert Pujols was not a factor in any of these events, yet the national media is obsessive about analyzing the Pujols situation from every possible angle.  I will draw the line if somebody produces his most recent colonoscopy film – that is not must see TV.

PostPujols depression is a real condition, and there are a few things that everybody needs to understand about it.

Albert Pujols is Human

As much as we like to think otherwise, and some of his baseball statistics suggest it might not be true, Albert Pujols is a person.  In a paying profession.   In a system that rewards the best of the best with extremely lucrative contracts.   At the expense of small market franchises.

That is the world we live in, and pretending that it isn’t so will not change it.

When comparing Pujols to other franchise players in St. Louis history (Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Ozzie Smith, Stan Musial), we must understand that most of them played in a different era.  Gibson and Musial played their entire career under the reserve clause, meaning that they had little to say about where they played.   It was much easier to keep franchise players back then, than it is today.

In Bob Gibson’s latest book, 60ft 6in, the Cardinal legend makes a disturbing confession when talking about steroids.  He said that he was glad they weren’t around when he played, because he might have been tempted to use them.  While that might shock some, it just points out that he too, was human.   Don’t tell that to the National League hitters that faced him in 1968, but it is true.  It also means that he might have done exactly what Albert Pujols did, if given the opportunity.

Ozzie Smith did play during the beginning of the free agency era, and signed an enormous contract in April 1985.  At the time, sportswriters questioned the wisdom of signing Smith to the same kind of money that Mike Schmidt was receiving.   Two NL Pennants later, it seemed like it was money well spent – or was it ?  That big contract handicapped the Cardinals following the passing of Gussie Busch and the fiscally conservative ownership group (Fred Kuhlmann) couldn’t (or didn’t) surround Smith with enough talent to win.

Stan Musial might be a bit different story.  We don’t know whether or not Musial would have taken advantage of free agency to land the same kind of deal as Albert Pujols, because he never had the chance.  His continued involvement in the franchise and local community, along with taking a pay cut after a poor (by his standards) season – at his insistence – suggests that Mr. Musial might not have chased the last possible dollar.   It is just further evidence of something we already know, Stan Musial is the exception, and not the rule.  And that’s why Stan is, and shall always be, “The Man”.

I think we’ve known it all along, Albert Pujols and Stan Musial are two different people.  The come from two different eras, have vastly different things driving them, and expecting the two to follow the same path is our mistake, not either of theirs.

Grieving is not Hating

Another important aspect is understanding what is going through the minds of Cardinals fans, who have watched a kid from Kansas City come out of nowhere, and become the greatest player of his generation.   And he did it right in front of our eyes.

Don't worry Albert, we still love you

It has been a long time since St. Louis has had that kind of player.  And you will have to excuse us for getting used to all of the attention that gave our team.   And likewise, you will have to give us some time to get over the fact that that attention will now be placed elsewhere – Southern California and the American League West, to be exact.

Cardinals fans are going to take the Pujols departure in a number of ways.  There will be some genuine haters, who think that the fans were somehow let down.  To them, let me suggest that we had the privilege of watching the greatest player of his era give a small market team more than a decade of production.  When the final chapter is written on the Pujols career, we will discover that his best years were played in front of us, and not in Southern California.

If you want to get mad at Pujols for taking the big contract, understand that most of those years, he was underpaid relative to others performing at, or below his level.  So the Cardinals did get some of those years at a discount.  They also took a big risk when they signed him to his $100M contract.  With three NL Pennants, 2 World Series titles – I think that worked out nicely for both sides.

Finally, to the haters, nothing that Albert does, or doesn’t do, will have much of an impact on the Cardinals.  He can be a big help to an organization that has always played second chair to one of the games greatest franchises, the Dodgers.  If he succeeds, it will hurt the Dodgers or Padres, but not St. Louis.   Even the concern that Yadier Molina might go running after his long lost bromance partner totally fell apart when he signed a contract extension, keeping him in St. Louis.

So there is no reason to hate Albert.

What everybody else has to understand is that many Cardinals fans are grieving a bit, and it will take a while for that to pass.   Think Colby Rasmus times about a trillion, and you will be close.   The sniping at Albert and the Angels is just catharsis – it is not genuine hate.  We make fun of an 0-3 opening day debut with his new team, because we remember his .450 or so batting average on opening day.  We understand that he is an RBI threat, just by being on the on-deck circle.   He changes the outcome of the game, just because he exists.   And he has been known to make players around him better.

And we will miss that.

We are Laughing at You

When you hear Cardinals fans making snarky comments, they are just that.  It is like calling an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend ugly, stupid, or enjoying their misfortune.  All that means is that we are still paying attention.  If we didn’t care, we would not know that Pujols lined into a double play in his first, popped out to Mike Moustakas in his second, struck out in his third, and walked in his final at-bat.   We are still hanging onto memories and wishing things had turned out differently.   We still care.

But, the target of all the snarkery is not Albert himself.   It is the national sports media, or in some cases, the local media as well.  It is also aimed at fans of other clubs that think the St. Louis Cardinals is just Albert Pujols and a bunch of nobodies.  Those are the ones we are talking to when we make #PuWho jokes.  If you want to shut us up, remember that Matt Holliday won an NL Pennant before he played for St. Louis.   Acknowledge that when Kyle Lohse has his command, and can hit his spots, he can beat any team in either league.   Learn the names, Daniel Descalso, Lance Lynn, Allen Craig and Jon Jay.   And Matt Adams.

The Cardinals Will Be Just Fine

The last part will play itself out over the next few months.   There are many that suggest the Cardinals cannot win without Albert Pujols in the lineup.   There is not a more intimidating player, or ferocious right handed bat anywhere in the game.   As a single player, he cannot be replaced.

But – the last time I checked the official rules of major league baseball, a team is comprised of a pitcher and eight additional positions.  Pujols represents just 1/9 of the ballclub.   Functionally, Carlos Beltran has replaced Pujols in the daily lineup.   That just means he’s the new 1/9 of the team.   He doesn’t have to be Pujols for the Cardinals to win, he just has to be Carlos Beltran.

Over the course of his eleven year career, Albert Pujols has totaled 88 WAR (wins above replacement).  That works out to 8 per year, a staggering number.   When healthy, Carlos Beltran is around a 3-4 WAR.   Allen Craig was a 3 last year, but only played for 1/3 of a season.  David Freese is a 1.8, and played just half a season.  No single player will, or at least isn’t likely to, replace that 8 WAR we have been used to from the first base position, but getting rid of a lot of negative WAR players, who saw far too much playing time in recent seasons, will keep the Cardinals a competitive and successful team.   It is far too early to draw any conclusions about 2012, but the new lineup looks just as imposing as the one that won the World Series last year, perhaps even a bit better.

That’s the message I want to deliver to the single syllable sound bite driven sports media.  The Cardinals have always been more than just Albert Pujols.  It doesn’t matter that you base your entire narrative around a false premise, the fact remains that the Cardinals won championships long before Albert was a Cardinal, and they will (hopefully) win more now that he is gone.  It will take a team effort, but it always has – baseball is a team game.  At the end of the day,  that is the real key to the Cardinals franchise – it has never been about one player, it has always been the team.   That doesn’t always make for great headlines (Kyle Lohse pitching six no-hit innings to open the Marlins new stadium), but that is the Cardinals Way.  Understand that, and you will understand us.

And then, maybe, we can all get along.

Until then, it is all good.  Baseball is back.   The Cardinals are playing well.   We like our new manager.   And it is so good to see Adam Wainwright back on the mound.

Off Days are (Still) for the Minor Leagues

Today is the first off-day of the 2012 season.   Last season, the Cardinals had played six games before their first travel day, and fans were still reeling from an ugly 2-4 start, where the bullpen was anything but reliable.   We actually looked forward to the day off  because it meant that there wouldn’t be another heartbreaking defeat.

What a difference a year makes.  A wacky schedule has the Cardinals off after just one game, and what a game it was.  This off day will seem more like an appointment for a root canal, something to dread and hope that it passes quickly so we can return to our normal routine.   But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Free Gameday Audio

Off days give us a great opportunity to pay attention to the kids playing in the minor league system.  Three of the four full season teams begin the play tonight: Memphis at Oklahoma City, Frisco at Springfield, and Kane County at Quad Cities.   Once again, our friends from MiLB.com have made Gameday audio streams available for free, making it easy to follow the action in the minors.  Cardinals fans will be most interested in

Memphis Redbirds (some broadcasts are heard here or here)

Springfield Cardinals

Quad Cities River Bandits (iPad/iPhone users click here)

Palm Beach Cardinals (iPad/iPhone users click here)

Batavia Muckdogs

If the radio station listed above is not carrying the game, try the opponent’s broadcast.   A complete listing of all the minor league broadcasts can be found here.

A special note to iPhone/iPad users: Tune In Radio is a great application that can stream most of these broadcasts.   The home radio stations for each of the Cardinals farm teams is

Memphis – WBHQ AM 560, alternate broadcasts on The Pig

Springfield – Jock 98.7 FM

Quad Cities (tbd)

Palm Beach (tbd)

Batavia – WBTA

Another great smartphone application comes from Radio.com.  You can use it to listen to Cardinals pre and post game coverage on KMOX.  Little of this is carried by the various MLB sources (Gameday Audio, MLB TV, MLB at Bat) and the Radio.com application lets you keep up with all of the coverage.

But Wait … There’s More (Video)

The best deal in sports entertainment has to be the MiLB subscription, when added to an existing MLB.TV account.  It is heavily discounted, about the price of a beer at the ballpark.   Even at full price, it is worth every penny.

MiLB.TV streams video for all of the AAA clubs.  Some of them feature the radio broadcast audio, but a few are streamed just with the sounds of the crowd.   There are fewer camera angles than with the major league broadcasts, and video is in standard definition.  But the baseball is fun (and the blackout rules seem to be interpreted quite loosely).  Some of the broadcasts, Memphis in particular, leave the video feed running so you can enjoy the in-stadium entertainment between innings.

In addition to all of the AAA clubs, Northwest Arkansas, Tulsa and Corpus Christi also broadcast video, which gives us an opportunity to look in on the kids playing in Springfield.  A complete list of teams streaming video can be found at http://www.milb.com/milb/multimedia/milbtv.jsp.

Viva El Baby Birdos

The next time the Cardinals have a day off or are playing in the East or West time zones, take advantage of the free streaming audio or take advantage of your MiLB video subscription, and follow the kids as they develop their skills.

One last ovation for the 2011 Philadelphia Phillies

In just a few hours, Josh Johnson will throw the first pitch of the St. Louis Cardinals 2012 season. Regardless of how the season plays out, Cardinals fans will get to hear “defending World Champions” until a new champion is crowned.   As exciting as as opening day in Miami will be, it will be dwarfed by the extravaganza that the Cardinals will put on as they raise the World Championship banner and pass out World Series rings during their home opener later in April.

While giving their team a well deserved ovation, Cardinals fans should also spend a moment or two and thank the 2011 Philadelphia Phillies for the way they finished their season.  Over the course of 162 games, they proved that they were indeed the best team in baseball.   Their 102 wins led both the National and American Leagues, as well topping  their previous franchise record (101).   Their starting rotation and bullpen featured some of the best arms in the game, resulting in genuinely mind numbing ERAs in an era where ERAs approaching four are considered acceptable.

Heading into the final series of the season, the Phillies could have laid down and picked their opponent in the National League Divisional Series.  Maybe they did.  Either way, they played that final series against the Atlanta Braves like champions, storming into the post-season, unafraid of who they would face next, confident in their ability to beat any team in a short series.  As a result, they had the misfortune of playing the Cardinals, who were just the hotter team at the moment.  Not over the season, to be sure.  But over the course of one week of post-season baseball, and it was by a itsy bitsy teeny tiny razor thin margin.   Or, as Curt Flood would tell us if he could, by the wrong turn of a normally dependable outfielder.

Fans of baseball need to thank the Phillies for a most memorable NLDS, one of the best ever.  Back and forth the series went, going pretty much along the script of the Phillies big bats versus the Cardinals suddenly dependable relief pitching.  Each had produced a pair of wins, setting up one of the greatest games in Cardinals history – Game Five.  If the Phillies give away that final series to the Braves, all of baseball is deprived of this special game.  That would be a shame.

If things worked out differently, and the Phillies meet the Brewers in the NLCS, it goes down as just another seven game series.  The Phillies could win it in six, as the Cardinals did, but there wouldn’t be anything beyond the marks on the scorecard.  There would have been no controversy about the stadium’s ribbon lighting, or whether the roof should be open or closed.   There is no history of players opening their mouths when they shouldn’t have, and no pitchers throwing at batters when they did.  The games might have been good, probably some great individual performances, but it would have been just another seven game championship series between two teams that play each other a few times each year.   Phillies fans probably wouldn’t have even noticed Brian Anderson was calling the game as he would on Fox Sports Wisconsin instead of a national broadcast.

Instead, Cardinals and Brewers fans got a delightful series between two teams that knew each other like siblings.   And genuinely disliked each other, in a siblings sort of way.  This was not just an NLCS, it was NL Central bragging rights for the next twelve months.   It was vindication for Chris Carpenter or Nyjer Morgan.   It would also be the last time that fans of either team would see Prince Fielder in a Brewers uniform, and the last time Brewers fans would get a look at Albert Pujols wearing the Birds on the Bat.

Fans of baseball might have also been deprived of a most memorable World Series.   The series will be remembered not for who won each game, but how they went back and forth – each team coming from behind for some thrilling wins.  The unique moment in Game Six,  when Joe Buck was able to make the same call as his father two decades earlier, will go down in broadcasting history as one of those perfect moments.   The sound of “We Will See You Tomorrow Night” still gives Cardinals and Twins fans goosebumps.  That just doesn’t happen with any other team.

I know that Phillies fans were disappointed with how their season ended, but they shouldn’t be.  Their team was the best in both leagues, played like champions, battled for five brilliant post-season games, and that’s how they should be remembered.  Just as Cardinals fans need to realize that 2011 was not the reincarnation of 1964, Phillies fans should do the same.   There was no late season meltdown in Philadelphia, there was no let down, nothing but good baseball.  And that’s all that we can ask of any team.

So as you give Adam Wainwright, David Freese, Lance Berkman and the rest of the Cardinals your applause over the next few days, save a little for Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard and the rest of the 2011 Phillies.  They deserve it nearly as much as the Cardinals do.

Guide to the UCB Greatest Cardinals Team Finals

Some of our favorite United Cardinal Blogger (UCB) writers have been playing a brackets game to pass the final few weeks of the off-season. Now that opening day has arrived, it is time for the final two teams to meet, face to face. I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am that the two finalists are the 1967 and 1968 Cardinals, because they truly were the two greatest teams in my lifetime.

1967 – Viva El Birdos

Even though the lineup is essentially unchanged, the two teams were as different as night and day.   The 1967 Go Go El Birdos shocked the baseball world when they roared into first place on June 19, thanks to a spectacular play by Curt Flood, ending the extra inning game in Houston with an unassisted double play.   Like the Carlos Marmol wild pitch on September 24, 2011, there was something about that play that just said, “Destiny.”

Oh, this was a club that overcame many obstacles on their road to the World Series, perhaps more than any other Cardinals championship team.  The loss of Bob Gibson in July is well documented, but just a few days after the miraculous play by Curt Flood, the Cardinals were dealt a bigger blow, in the loss of Ray Washburn.  When healthy, Washburn was a game changer, and could dominate an opposing batting order.  He flirted with a perfect game early in his career, and would pitch a no hitter in 1968.  Ask the Cincinnati Reds about Washburn as they faced him and Bob Gibson early in May.  Over those two games, they managed just four hits.  Total.  Two against Gibson and two against Washburn.  The two also recorded seventeen strikeouts over those two games.

The ’67 Cardinals also had to overcome their own mistakes.  On May 30, Dick Hughes made everybody hold their breath as he flirted with a perfect game in Cincinnati.  Moments later, we had to hold our noses as the Cardinals killed a rally, that eerily mimicked the September 24 “Game of Destiny” last year.  Instead of winning that game, Orlando Cepeda broke late off third base and was thrown out at home, completing a game ending triple play.

In the end, I think that’s why the ’67 Cardinals hold such a special place in our hearts.  Like the 2011 team, they overcame every challenge that was thrown at them, large and small.  Go Go El Birdos was the Happy Flight of that era, and as Nelson Briles emerged as a legitimate starter in the absence of Bob Gibson, that became a daily battle cry.   They didn’t need a Rally Squirrel or Torty because they had all of that, and more, in the persona of Orlando Cepeda.   It was as if by sheer will, he lifted the Cardinals out of every hole they dug them selves into, and safely deposited them on the other side.  Curt Flood, Lou Brock, Tim McCarver and Julian Javier also turned in some of the best numbers of their career in the 1967 campaign.

If you want a well balanced team without a lot of flaws, the 1967 Cardinals should be your pick.  Those 101 wins were no accident.  A 15-2 run in June, just as tragedy started hitting, and another big run, to the tune of 13-2 in Bob Gibson’s absence, tells you all you need to know about these feisty birds.

But ……

1968 – Yawn, another NL Pennant

The 1968 team was actually the better ball club.   They didn’t have nearly the adversity to play through, but they did have to defend their title, which was probably harder to accomplish.  They caught everybody by surprise the previous year, with experts having them finish in the middle of the pack …… in the bottom of the NL.  That’s right, the experts had them finishing 9th or so.

Not so in 1968.  After holding on to beat another team of destiny, the 1967 Boston Red Sox, opposing teams came well prepared to play the Cardinals of 1968.   They also had something of a game plan, thanks to the 1967 San Francisco Giants, as the Cardinals seemed to have a bit of trouble with left handed pitching.   It didn’t necessarily show up in the offensive statistics, but lefties (especially those pesky Giants) gave both the ’67 and ’68 Cardinals fits.

Where the ’67 Cardinals played with a lot of emotion and style, the 1968 Cardinals were like a steamroller, flattening everything that came in their path.  Oh, there was a lot of flash and some feigned emotion, but this was a ball club that knew they were Champions, played like it, and completely expected to repeat as such.  There was no “holy cow, we won”, it was more like “OK, we won, who do we play tomorrow, and what’s for dinner?”.

With the exception of a fast start by Houston and San Francisco, and a short losing spell at the end of May, the Cardinals methodically worked their way to their second consecutive NL Pennant.  The Cardinals were in first place for all but 13 games, and never more three games out (at the of the 1-7 losing spell in May).  14 losses in September, after the rest of the league had long since surrendered, is the difference between the 101 wins in 1967 and 97 in 1968.

Much is made of the offensive struggles during 1968, especially those of Orlando Cepeda, and rightfully so.  At the same time, we have to keep in mind that the offensive juggernaut from ’67 did not have to face their own staff, in either season.  In defeating the 1967 Red Sox, it is important to remember that Boston only had one legitimate ace in their rotation, Jim Lonborg.   The rest of the rotation was something of a patchwork assembly, led by a surprising Jose Santiago (12-4 with something of a high ERA) and a mid-season pickup in Gary Bell.  Hardly the 1-2 punch the Cardinals had to face in 1968 (Denny McLain 31-6, Mickey Lolich 17-9).  Oh, and need I remind you that Lolich was a …… lefty.

For all of the offensive troubles, there were a few bright spots.  Dal Maxvill turned in a career year at the plate, and for his efforts he was awarded a Gold Glove.  Defensively, he was one of the best, but his .253 batting average was about .50 points higher than his career average, and his on-base percentage was second on the club, just behind Curt Flood.  Mike Shannon led the Cardinals offense with 79 RBIs, and Lou Brock led the team in doubles and stolen bases, with a whopping 62 thefts.  Julian Javier also turned in a good season, both at the plate and in the field.

The story of the 68 Cardinals was pitching, but it was far more than just Bob Gibson.  While Gibby was rewriting the record books with all those scoreless innings in the heat of the summer, the rest of the staff was doing just fine, thank you very much.  30 combined shutouts and 31 more with just a single run allowed where the Cardinals somehow lost 5 (Gibson twice, Carlton, Briles and Jaster each once).  Add another 21 games where the Cardinals pitchers allowed just 2 runs, and that is half of the season.  It doesn’t take much offense when your pitching is that good, and the pitching was that good.  If the Cardinals needed to get into the bullpen, Joe Hoerner was nearly automatic and a young hard throwing right-hander by the name of Wayne Granger was most impressive.   Once Granger mastered the sinker, he would go on to win the next two Fireman of the Year awards, unfortunately with Cincinnati and not in St. Louis.

How to Choose ?

Sentimentally, this one is easy.  After 44 years, it is time to forgive the 1968 Cardinals for not defeating the Tigers in the World Series.   As they had done the year before, they battled a very good American League opponent through seven memorable games.   A bad play on wet turf by one of the best defensive outfielders might have been the difference between winning and losing the World Series.  At the same time, credit really needs to go to Norm Cash, Willie Horton, Jim Northrup and Bill Freehan for that two out rally in the seventh inning of Game Seven – that was truly the difference in the series.  Credit also needs to go to the World Series MVP, Mickey Lolich, for making that lead hold up.

If you want to get all scientific about this, the difference is in the two rotations, and it’s very subtle.  The two batting orders were the same, and believe it or not, the ’68 Cardinals outhit the ’67 club in post-season.   Only three batters hit over .250 against the Red Sox, and five accomplished that feat (including Dal Maxvill) in ’68.  They got more hits, extra base hits, home runs, scored more runs and stole more bases.   Slight nod to the ’68 crew.

So let’s look at that rotation.

Pitcher (67)	W	L	ERA	Pitcher (68)	W	L	ERA
Gibson	13	7	2.98	Gibson	22	9	1.12
Washburn	10	7	3.53	Washburn	14	8	2.26
Hughes	16	6	2.67	Briles	19	11	2.81
Carlton	14	9	2.98	Carlton	13	11	2.99
Jaster	9	7	3.01	Jaster	9	13	3.51

Steve Carlton (yet to master the slider) was a wash, as was Larry Jaster.  The difference between the two rotations was in Nelson Briles, who actually out-pitched 1967 co-Rookie of the Year, Dick Hughes.   But more than that, take a look at Ray Washburn’s ERA from 1968 – that is the untold story of the season.  Finally healthy, making all of his starts, Washburn pitched up to his expectations, like we knew he could.   And he rewarded our loyalty with a brilliant no-hitter in San Francisco.

But what about the bullpens ?

Pitcher (67)	W	L	ERA	Pitcher (68)	W	L	ERA
Hoerner	4	4	2.59	Hoerner	8	2	1.47
Willis	6	4	2.67	Willis	2	3	3.39
Woodeshick	2	1	5.18	Nelson	2	1	2.91
Jackson	9	4	3.95	Granger	4	2	2.25
Briles	14	5	2.43	Hughes	2	2	3.53

It should be noted that both Al Jackson and Nelson Briles split duty between the bullpen and rotation in 1967. Jackson was a spot starter and Briles took Bob Gibson’s place when he was on the disabled list. Briles pitched so effectively that he stayed in the rotation, forcing both Jackson and Larry Jaster into the bullpen.   It should also be noted that Dick Hughes pitched with a torn muscle in his shoulder during the entire 1968 season, ending his career – talk about one tough hombre.  Wow.

Nobody was better than the tandem of Wayne Granger and Joe Hoerner in 1968.   It took another pair of closers, Ken Dayley and Todd Worrell in 1985, to recapture the magic of this righty/lefty pairing, and we haven’t seen another duo like that since.

Cast Your Vote

Please run over to the UCB web site to cast your vote, and thank you for participating in this fun game. A vote for either team makes this old Cardinals fan happy, but if I had to pick a favorite between the two, it would be the 1968 team – easily the most dominating group of players I have ever seen play the game of baseball.  After casting your vote (for 1968), please give a big round of applause for Nick at Pitchers Hit Eighth for coming up with the idea, and Bill, Daniel and Christine for running their regionals.   Thanks to all that participated, and learned a little bit about the history of this great organization.

September 18, 1969 – Thanks Dad

Reading through United Cardinals Bloggers postings of their top iconic moments, you quickly come to the conclusion that Cardinals fans are fortunate to have so many wonderful memories.  From Ozzie Smith’s home run to Mark McGwire’s 62nd, I think my favorite was from Bill Ivie when he talked about a game he attended with his father.   Surely, those are the most special of all.

I have one of those as well, although it didn’t have a happy ending at the time.  But it has changed the way I look at baseball, and made me the fan that I am today.  As Game Six of the 2011 World Series unfolded, I looked up to the sky and thanked my dad for a game in which we did not see the ending.

The date was September 18, 1969, a Thursday afternoon game in St. Louis.  A disappointing season for the Cardinals was winding down.   The Pittsburgh Pirates were in town for a quick two game series before the Cardinals left on a long road trip.   For some reason, my dad took the day off work and took me out of school to go to this particular game.  I have no memory of why, but I do remember the game as if it happened yesterday.

Both Nelson Briles of the Cardinals and Steve Blass of the Pirates got off to a good start.   The Cardinals would score first, putting three runs on the board in the third inning.  A two out walk to Curt Flood followed by a double by Vada Pinson gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.  Then Joe Hague hit a home run to extend that to 3-0.   The tiny crowd made a huge noise as Hague rounded the bases.

In the fifth inning, Briles began to show signs of trouble.  Since he was not a strikeout pitcher, he had to be perfect with his control, and that was slipping.  The Pirates were starting to get to him.   They would continue to peck away at Briles in the sixth inning as well, but Nelly managed to keep the Pirates off the scoreboard.

Briles luck finally ran out in the seventh.   After striking out Manny Sanguillen to start the ininng, Richie Hebner singled.  Bob Robertson followed that with an RBI double.   That brought Red Schoendienst out of the dugout, and the afternoon was over for Briles.

Mudcat Grant came into the game and immediately gave up a two run homer to the Pirates pinch hitter, Jose Pagan.  The game is now tied and my dad is starting to stir.   Grant would give up a single to Matty Alou and a double to Dave Cash.  The Pirates are threatening to break this game open with runners in scoring position and the scary part of their batting order coming up (Willie Stargell, Roberto Clemente, Al Oliver).   And my dad is threatening to get up and leave the ballpark.

Again, Red went to his bullpen, this time for Ray Washburn.  Washburn would intentionally walk Willie Stargell to load the bases.   Considering that Washburn and his tremendous curveball could easily induce an inning ending double play, this seemed like a good idea.   If Red had to do it all over again, he might have let Grant walk Stargell instead of Washburn.

After the intentional pass, Washburn snapped off one of those breaking balls, but it fell short of the plate and Ted Simmons could not corral it.  Alou scampers home, giving the Pirates the lead.   OK, let’s try this again.   Now Washburn intentionally walks Clemente to face the left handed hitting, Al Oliver.   Joe Hoerner is warming up in the bullpen as quickly as he can, but he’s not ready to come into the game yet, so Washburn has to face the left handed hitter.   Washburn strikes out the pesky Oliver.   Now he is one pitch away from ending the rally and limiting the damage.   Unfortunately for Washburn, the Pirates are one pitch away from breaking the game open.

The Pirates win this battle when Manny Sanguillen, who led off the inning with a strikeout, rips a double to left field.   Cash scores, Stargell rounds third base and scores.    It’s now 6-3 and my dad begins picking up his things and motioning towards the stairs.   I must have given him the sad puppy dog face because he sits back down and is willing to give Joe Hoerner a chance.

Well, that didn’t last long.  Hoerner couldn’t find the strike zone either, and a wild pitch made the score 7-3.   That was it for my dad, and we started our long walk up the steps, around Busch stadium and over to the garage where our car was parked.   My dad apologizes several times on the journey, disappointed that the Cardinals didn’t give me a better game.   He didn’t understand my sadness was from leaving the game early, not the score.   The score didn’t matter as much as just being there with my dad.   The walk signaled that this special day was about to come to a conclusion.

As we walked around the stadium, we kept hearing crowd noise.   It was eerie, what was there to cheer about ?   Just as we were about to leave the stadium, I turned around for one last look at the field and saw Jerry DaVanon standing on second base.   Then I heard a crack of a bat, and DaVanon raced all the way home.   Standing there for as long as I could, I watched Vada Pinson step up to the plate and hit the ball well out of sight.  From that particular angle, I could only see the infield, but the speed of Pinson and Curt Flood rounding the bases, together with the noise of the crowd, told me that the ball had left the field of play.  Mentally, I added the score (DaVanon, Flood, Pinson, that’s three).   The Cardinals were within just one run, at 7-6.

My dad had already mentally checked out of the game and was now more interested in beating rush hour traffic out of downtown, so we left the stadium.   As a consolation, we did listen to the game on the radio.   I leaned against the passenger side window, closed my eyes and let the pictures painted by Harry Caray and Jack Buck’s voice fill my mind for the short drive home.

Sal Campisi struggled in relief of Hoerner.   Apparently he could not find the strike zone.   In two innings of work, Campisi would walk four batters.   What had been a swiftly moving game had suddenly come to a near stand-still.   This had to be agonizing to watch if we were still sitting in the stadium, but the slow pace actually allowed us to get all the way home so we could finish listening to the game in the comfort of our living room.

As we walked into the house, we were greeted by my mother, who had a bit of a puzzled look on her face, not expecting to see us home so soon.   She did have the game on the radio, as she did whenever the Cardinals were playing, so we all sat down to listen to the end.

Phil Gagliano, one of our favorite utility players, led off the inning with a single.  He represents the tying run.   Vic Davillio, one of those really pesky scrappy guys with great speed, pinch runs for Gagliano.  Lou Brock strikes out, and my mom makes a sour face.    Curt Flood follows that with a single, but Davillio has to stop at second.  Vada Pinson strikes out, for the second out of the inning.   My mom makes another sour face.    The Pirates are now one pitch away from winning the game, but that pitch would never come.

Joe Torre steps up to the plate.   Torre had come into the game as a pinch hitter during the Cardinals big rally in the seventh inning.   Like Matt Holliday, Torre could swing that big bat and hit the ball very hard.   He hit one right at Al Oliver, who was really an outfielder and not a first baseman, and he boots it.   Davillio is flying around the bases and scores all the way from second base on the error.   The game is tied at 7, and the speedy Curt Flood is now in scoring position.

Ted Simmons would be the final batter in the game, as he would line a single to right field that easily scored Flood.   Somehow, the Cardinals had engineered a late inning comeback, erasing that horrific seventh inning where the Pirates scored seven runs.   The Cardinals won the game 8-7.   What an unbelievable game.

But it filled a very young baseball fan with a lot of conflicting emotions.   There was the exuberance of the win, certainly enhanced by Jack Buck’s description of the actual events.  At the same time there was the disappointment that I could have, and if it were totally up to me, would have been there to see this comeback, rather than listen to it on the radio.   In hindsight, an additional element of sadness is added as this was the last time I would see Ray Washburn, Curt Flood and Joe Hoerner in a Cardinals uniform, and the visual memory was of them struggling.

But this is not a sad story, because on that day my relationship with baseball changed.   Never again would I give up on a game until the last out is recorded.   Deficits on the scoreboard become late inning opportunities, not obstacles.   I realized on that afternoon in 1969 that my dad and I were just different types of baseball fans.   Looking back, I have to thank him for opening up that world by taking me to all of those games when I was young.   More than that, I have to thank him for letting me get away with things like hiding a transistor radio under my pillow so I could listen to those late night west coast games.

That’s why, when the Cardinals overcame not one, but two late inning deficits in Game Six, I had to thank my dad for making me the kind of baseball fan that did not give up, sticking with it until the final out was recorded.   Although he has been gone for nearly two decades, I know that he was watching that game too, knowing how much I was enjoying it.   Thanks, Dad.